Amtrak station guide: Washington D.C.'s Union Station
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Axios Boston's Mike Deehan recently traveled from Boston's South Station to Washington D.C. on Amtrak to check out the East Coast's major train hubs.
Washington D.C.'s Union Station is an Amtrak hub on top of a Metro subway station, inside a shopping mall.
- Built in 1908, Union Station is another gorgeous depot that's maintained its 19th Century-inspired architecture.
- Its amenities are outdated but plentiful. Luckily, it's set to get a huge renovation.
Where to eat: The train concourse area itself doesn't have much, but the Union Station complex houses a mall-style food court downstairs with all the usual suspects. Jersey Mikes, Halal Guys, Chipotle, Chick-fil-a — you get the idea.
Where to work: D.C. is a busy "company town," but there's not much space to work anywhere around the concourse. The food court tables are your best bet, but there's sketchy, if any, free wifi coverage.
Where to wait: There's some seating, but most riders will be standing in lines around the gates to the platforms.
- Amtrak has a lounge area for all ticket holders — not just first-class passengers like in most major stations — with traditional airport-style seating and arrival/departure displays.
Where to wee: The bathrooms are about what you'd expect for a major mall teeming with riders, everyday commuters and the general public. Not great, but nothing disgusting.
What's next: There are plans for an $8.8 billion overhaul of Union Station to triple its rider capacity and turn it into a world-class transportation hub.
- It will take years but, eventually, Union Station could take the crown from the Moynihan Hall in New York for pure station greatness.
Go deeper: Philadelphia's 30th Street Station